importance of portion sizes?

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pamp1emousse
pamp1emousse Posts: 282 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
A lot of people talk about the importance of portion sizes - what are people's thoughts on portions which are really quite big, but all vegetables and chicken breast (like mine). Is the point that you should be aware of serving sizes so that you're not eating more than you think, or that you generally shouldn't be eating large quantities?

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  • mckennamom
    mckennamom Posts: 18 Member
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    I kind of take the Weight Watchers approach that veggies are free. I try to watch the portion size if I'm eating something that is high in calories, but if I'm eating a ton of vegetables in a sitting I don't worry at all because the vitamins are great and they are so very low in calories.
  • schpanks
    schpanks Posts: 468 Member
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    Calories! And fat, sodium, etc. Americans aren't fat because we eat enormous grilled chicken salads. We're fat because we eat biggie fries and whoppers. And our "snack bags" of potato chips have 3 servings in them. :happy:
  • Gossamer5
    Gossamer5 Posts: 12 Member
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    Portion size is very important whether it's vegies & chicken or Potatoes & steak. There is an acceptable amount of food no matter what it is that we should portion. I have portioned my food for the last year and have lost nearly 100lbs. This is why people who eat a large giant salad don't lose weight. Even though it is salad it is still calories. It must be portioned correctly. Remember that the rule of thumb is the size of your fist in portioning. Plus 3 or 4 oz of meat is acceptable.
  • Caper88
    Caper88 Posts: 418 Member
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    I think part of it is because then you know how much you are eating. I mean you could blow all of your calories a day in a meal if your having big portions of bread or pasta. I have also been told that eating a few small meals threw the day keeps you from feeling hungry until your next meal as well as keeping your metabolism going. It is important to make sure that you keep your metabolism going threw out the day so you are always burning calories.
  • pamp1emousse
    pamp1emousse Posts: 282 Member
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    Thanks for all your responses! Gossamer - I was worried someone would say that :tongue: so what would you call an "acceptable" meal?
  • servingthealiens
    servingthealiens Posts: 144 Member
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    Yep, calories are calories. Veggies are generally pretty lo-cal, so you have some wiggle room. I think a cup of cauliflower has something like 30 calories? So if you go a little over, it's not going to matter much.

    But you should still get in the habit of measuring and controlling your portions. I gained back all the weight I'd lost the first time around from "eyeballing" my portions, thinking I'd learned how to eat better. Even when I'm at my goal weight and switch to maintaining, I still plan to log my food at least every other or every second day so I don't slip back into old patterns. It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound, and I just don't see myself eating an excess of 3500 in a couple days, but over time, it adds up.
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,424 Member
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    I think if you are eating 1 chicken breast (which some of them can be HUGE so you gotta watch that) and the rest of your plate is veggies, it's O.K. to go over on your veggie portion. It's when you add the pasta or the rice or the potatoes that you really need to watch it. Also, don't eat 2 chicken breasts! My belief is everything in moderation but I will eat a ginormous salad for lunch that is about 3 cups of greens and minimal protein and fruit. LIke one of the previous posters said, that's not what got me on here!

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